THE GLOBAL CITY

A Global city (also known as a power city, world city, alpha city, or world center) is a city that serves as a
primary node in the global economic network. Global city is an urban center that enjoys significant
competitive advantages and that serves as a hub within a globalized economic system.

“Global cities” are and always have been both, products and producers of globalization. They play an
important role in shaping a global economy, culture and society, but they are also shaped by it. And they
are places where countervailing (offsetting an effect by countering it with something of equal force.)
forces match and local reactions to globalization become especially visible.

A global city, therefore, is the world's most important and influential city that covers the dimensions
of the globalization. These dimensions are cultural experience, business activity, human capital as well
as political engagement.

Characteristics of a Global City

A global city, according to Saskia Sassen, author of The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo, is a
significant production point of specialized financial and producer services that make the globalized
economy run. In the age of globalization, cities are no longer isolated and their influence on the global
economy cannot go overlooked. Many factors are taken into consideration when deciding whether a
city is global or not; such factors include being a

 home to major stock exchanges and indexes,

 having an influence in international political affairs, and
 being centers of new ideas and innovation in business, economics, culture, and politics.

The Criteria of a Global City

For a city to be “global” it has to meet the requirements. The Urban Elite Global Cities Index (2010) is a
ranking of the most global cities based on five aspects of globalization:

 Business Activity (30%)

Business activity is scored and ranked on the basis of five factors: number of international
conferences, flow of goods (air and port), capital markets (financial markets that bring buyers
and sellers together to trade stocks, bonds, currencies, and other financial assets,) number of
companies among the top 40 global service firms, and number of Fortune Global 500 companies
(also known as Global 500, is an annual ranking of the top 500 corporations worldwide as
measured by revenue) with headquarters in the city.

 Human Capital (30%)

Human capital is scored and ranked on the basis of five factors: size of a city’s foreign-born
population, quality of its universities, number of international schools, international student
population, and percentage of residents with university degrees.
  Information Exchange (15%)
Information exchange is scored and ranked on the basis of four factors: number of international
news bureaus, level of censorship, amount of international news in the leading local papers, and
broadband subscriber rate.

 Cultural Experience (15%)

Cultural experience is scored and ranked on the basis of six factors: museums, visual and
performing arts, major sporting events a city hosts, international travelers, diverse culinary
establishments, and sister city relationships.

 Political Engagement (10%)

Political engagement is scored and ranked on the basis of five factors: international
organizations, embassies and consulates, think tanks (a body of experts providing advice and
ideas on specific political or economic problems,) political conferences, and local institutions
with international reach.

Manila ranks 114th in global 150 cities index. Manila rose seven spots to 114th out of 150 cities in the
2022 edition of the Global 150 Cities Index published by the human resources consulting firm Associates
for International Research, Inc. (AIRINC)
 GLOBAL DEMOGRAPHY

What is the global demography?

 Demography is the statistical study of human populations. Demography examines the size,
structure, and movements of populations over space and time. It uses methods from history,
economics, anthropology, sociology, and other fields.

 Global demography, as its name suggests, is the study of the worldwide population rather than
the population of a specific country, region, or city. World population has reached 8 billion on
November 15, 2022 according to the United Nations.

What is the purpose of global demography?

In a world of over 8 billion people, studying population change is essential for a proper understanding of
the problems of today, and for tackling the challenges of tomorrow. Demography affects each and
every aspect of our lives – from the world economy and social policy, to city planning and climate
change. Demographic analysis is key to understanding the complex dynamics shaping the future social
landscape. Demography is useful for governments and private businesses as a means of analyzing and
predicting social, cultural, and economic trends related to population.

What are the three 3 main components of demography?

Demographers seek to understand population dynamics by investigating three main demographic

processes: 1. birth, 2. migration, and 3. aging (including death). All three of these processes contribute
to changes in populations, including how people inhabit the earth, form nations and societies, and
develop culture. Births, deaths, and migration transform communities.

Birth and Aging/Mortality

 The UN projects that the global population will increase from a population of around 8 billion in
2022 to 10.4 billion by the end of the century. By that time, the UN projects, fast global
population growth will come to an end.

 Global population growth is determined by the number of births and deaths. Improving health
is increasing the size of the population as it is decreasing mortality. The countervailing trend is
falling fertility rates – the trend of couples having fewer children is what brought rapid
population growth to an end in many countries already, and what will bring an end to rapid
population growth globally.